GPs to prepare for mental health cuts
Many bulk-billing GP practices will have to start charging patients for Better Access services, the RACGP says.
With the final report into the Senate inquiry on mental health cuts being delayed, the College has said that the changes to the Better Access general practice mental health item numbers announced in the May budget, are likely to come into effect from November 1.
Ina series of likely scenarios (link) the College says it will continue to lobby the government but “practices may require revised practice systems and billings in order to continue delivering high quality patient care”.
College members have come up with a list of different practice scenarios to provide GPs with alternatives models of care for mental health services.
It has given the scenarios of a large practice in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and a small busy private practice in the western suburbs of Sydney that will both no longer be able to afford to continue bulk-billing mental health services through the Better Access program.
They will instead charge a patient co-payment for all the mental health services or refer their patient to public state-based services.
Meanwhile a medium sized private rural general practice in Queensland that employs a practice nurse with mental health skills is planning to use General Practice Management Plans (GPMP) and Team Care Arrangements (TCAs) which will involve the GP and the practice nurse who will coordinate mental health screening and assessment.
Meanwhile a fourth scenario for a bulk-billing practice that is unable to charge a patient co-payment due to its service charter, is to use the new MBS item 2715 in combination with other appropriate MBS items.
GPs are being told to contact the RACGP Policy & Practice Support Unit for advice (advocacy@racgp.org.au)
We drew up our new fees at the beginning of October and published them at the practice for patient’s information. Mostly our Gap is $30, but the gap for <40minutes plan is higher. I only realised this week when I received a mailing from Psychologist Association the if a patient has already used 10 sessions this year, they are ineligible for any more session after November 1st.
Milton Doctor | 22 October 2011 at 20:56
